The Price of Feathers

5

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

Raven fought her instincts to lash out at the arrangement. She was used to be paired with unwanted roommates. She knew better than think she deserved a preference but that did not mean she wanted to be roomed with a murderer. It had been a while since she had been so visibly afraid. One of the most important things that group homes taught her was: never show them your fear. It made you an easy target. People loved to prey on the weak! Try as she might, she failed to hide her discomfort from the stoic woman. She noticed my scared expression and let out an exasperated sigh; all the while glaring at me.

In an attempt to distract herself from the tension in the room, Raven looked around and admired her new digs. The room was quite tasteful. If one considers a medieval vampire's sleeping chamber to be tasteful. The floors were metal and cold. That was expected. The rest of the décor was not expected. There was an old-fashioned daytime reading chair and the ivory dresser draws and vintage free-standing cupboards on either side of the room along with two double beds. It was almost ironic how beautiful my new hell was. Everything was found in a pair. It was an ironic set up considering that she and "Lucifer" shared nothing in common. Aside from their wardrobe. Both of them seemed to have a deep affinity for dark clothing. Although, the older woman seemed to have a thing for leather.

The orphan briefly glanced at her roommate and studied her. Her scowl and general eerie aura suggested that she was someone who preferred solitude. Therefore, it was highly doubtful that she was too fond of the idea of sharing her private sanctuary. The glares and sore facial expressions made sense now. Raven had invaded in her personal space. Not by choice but... in the end, that did not seem to matter to the brooding woman lounging on her bed with a thick book in her hand.

"I'm sorry you have to share a room with me," Raven apologised in a soft voice. It was olive branch season in hell.

Raven did not want to further irritate her new roommate. Based on her earlier actions, the orphan couldn't afford to make an enemy of her. She needed to survive long enough to get out of this place. She needed to get back to Sage!

She made no attempt to speak or gesture that would insinuate that she had accepted my apology. Instead, she continued to scowl at Raven and then turn around to lie down on her bed. Both women were brooding on their respective sides of the room.

---

Raven's eyes fluttered open and for a second, she was unsure where she was. It was not an unfamiliar feeling to the orphan but it was not one that she ever got used to. The lights in the passage dripped into the room through the small window on top of the door. Perhaps, it meant that it was morning now.

She opened her eyes properly and sat up. It took a few minutes to readjust to her surroundings. The medieval décor was a stark reminder of the events of the past hours. She really was in hell. Raven jolted up when her eyes properly adjusted to the dim lighting of the room and saw a figure hovering above her. Lucifer stood next to my bed, towering over me with a semi-disgusted look on her face.

"You talk in your sleep," She accused in a stern voice.

The brunette's cold stare shot a shiver down Raven's spine: not the good kind. She was really living up to her name!

"I don't speak in my sleep," the silver and raven-haired girl retorted. She tried to match her tone as but failed miserably.

Lucifer continued to stare at her as she hastily got out of the bed and stood on the opposite side of the large, framed bed.

"Who is Sage? Who hurt her?" She seemed genuinely interested in knowing.

For a second, Raven was almost tempted to tell her but refrained at the last minute. She quickly remembered where she was. She did not trust her or anyone in this place to be quite frank. Especially not with the woman she loved. Although she was more than certain that Sage was not going to be harmed as long as she played by the rules of this place. She still didn't want to risk it.